31 July 2012

I think China needs a lesson in history. Even though they have theoretically been around since before the ancient Xia Dynasty 2100–1600 BCE, such lack of knowledge obfuscates the historical Jewish Biblical Era and Jewish Kingdoms (with authentic Kings).

"China ... warnsthat Mitt Romney’s pro-Jerusalem remarks [“Jerusalem is the capital of Israel”] could even 'reignite a war between Palestinians and Israelis,' says the Chinese news agency Xinhua."

Xinhua [China] threatens America:

"The U.S. presidential hopeful's dangerous words should be carefully watched ..."

“Romney stubbornly vowed to carry out this law, which, if translated into action, will cause international concerns,” the Chinese news agency added. It explained that 'any words that favor any party to the conflict regardless of history and reality are irresponsible and unfair for Palestinians who are in a less powerful position in the peace talks.'"

So, now we have China joining Persia in issuing threats to freedom loving people, even though:

"The 1995 Congressional Jerusalem Embassy Act states that the capital of Israel must be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but included a waiver that every president has recognized, postponing the move due to 'national security,' although the connection never has been made clear." (Who's 'national security'? America or Israel?)

So, it's not so far fetched that *China would go to war over Iran. These two lands were connected by the Silk Route, the same that carried survivors from the destruction of both of our Temples (which we just completed mourning over them Sunday, the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av).

__________________________________

*BTW China has a tremendous lack of females. So, a theoretical war and takeover of America would solve two of their problems, and provide a wealth of resources.

***"On 17 January 1946 Ernest Bevin the British Foreign Secretary, in a speech at the General Assembly of the United Nations, announced that the British Government intended to take steps in the near future to establish Trans-Jordan as a fully independent and sovereign state. The mandate for Transjordan ended on 22 May 1946 with the signing of the Treaty of London and Trans-Jordan gained full independence. On 25 May 1946 the country became the Hashemite Kingdom of Trans-Jordan when the ruling 'Amir' was redesignated as 'King'."

"On 24 April 1950, Jordan formally annexed the West Bank and East Jerusalem, an act that was regarded as illegaland void by the Arab League. The move formed part of Jordan’s "Greater Syria Plan" expansionist policy, and in response, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Syria joined Egypt in demanding Jordan’s expulsion from the Arab League. […] On 12 June 1950, the Arab League declared the annexation was a temporary, practical measure and that Jordan was holding the territory as a “trustee” pending a future settlement. On 27 July 1953, King Hussein of Jordan announced that East Jerusalem was "the alternative capital of the Hashemite Kingdom" and would form an "integral and inseparable part" of Jordan."

=========================

PS If you find historical or otherwise authentic inaccuracies, feel free to comment.

27 July 2012

As I usually do nearly every day, I go to Yeranen Yaakov and savor the Torah insights and Geula tidbits, links, and expositions. Today there was an unexpected treasure waiting for me.

One Link: A beautiful, thoughtful and insightful pouring from the heart by Rabbi Lipschitz, editor of the American edition of the Yated newspaper. Every word pulled me further into the world that was Rav Sholom Elyashiv A"H. I highly recommend that everyone read this fine tribute to an amazing neshoma that was rarely known by anyone outside those closest to him.

"And now, the chosson who had no friends, the bochur who had no chavrusah, the yungerman everyone in the kollel thought could only read Mishnayos, the weak father whose young children were afraid was living his last day, the gaon who shunned the limelight, the masmid who locked himself in a small shul, the man who sought nothing for himself and shunned attention, the godol hador shekol bais Yisroel nishan olov, has left us."

The tears came easily, the tightness in the chest, holding back an outpouring of grief was contained, to be released on this coming Tisha B'Av. Each year at this time I begin feeling anxiety, intermittent lumps in my throat as this awesome day nears. My eyes see people and children, trees, birds and life moving forward, but in my mind's eye appear flashes of the disaster that we experienced as a people and nation so long ago. It's the same every year. I cannot evade it.

Now, however, there is something added to this year's enveloping sadness. For over one hundred years we had living among us such a real person and unique neshoma. Why do we have to wait until such a neshoma leaves our world to learn so much about him?

I guess we have to wait a little longer for Moshiach to affect all of us in our world in real time.

Exactly forty years after 11 Israeli athletes were slain in the Munich Olympic Games, there's no doubt that Israel today is facing a complex reality, with more varied and serious threats than we've seen before. Shimon Peres, Israel’s President, told CNN this week that Iran has declared “open war on Israel.” This he said after Iran and Hezbollah staged a deadly attack in Burgas, Bulgaria last Wednesday, killing five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian citizen, and wounding some 30 Israelis.

Then there is the threat from Syria, which threatened to use “chemical weapons” against its foes, and the never ending threat from its neighbors, Hamas, Hezbollah, the PA, and today also Egypt.

During such times, it is vital that we, the Jewish people, stand firm and united. First and foremost, we must articulate to ourselves—and to the world—the truth about Israel.

Not Even a Foot

In this week’s Torah portion (Devarim), Moses, bidding farewell to his nation just weeks before his passing, narrates the experiences of the young nation during their forty-years of wandering in the Sinai wilderness, en route to the Holy Land.

Their long trek, from Egypt through the Sinai Peninsula, to the Eastern bank of the Jordan, forced them to pass neighboring countries, all of them antagonistic toward the Israelites. Moses records his instructions to the Israelites on how to treat these neighboring nations. His words are both shocking and stunning; their moral power resonates to this very day.

“G-d said to me,” Moses recalls (1), "Give the people the following instructions: ‘You are passing through the borders of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who dwell in Seir [Southeast of Israel]. Although they fear you, you must be very careful. You shall not provoke them, for I will not give you even one foot of their land. As an inheritance to Esau I have given Mount Seir.’”

Moses continues the instruction: “You shall purchase food from them for money so that you may eat; also water shall you buy from them for money so that you may drink.”

From Seir, also known as Edom, the Hebrew’s continue their journey northward toward the territory of Moab, located at the East of the Dead Sea. This is Moses’ message to the Hebrews once again:

“G-d said to me, ‘You shall not distress Moab and you shall not provoke war with them. I will not give you their land as an inheritance, since I have already given Ar [the capital of Moab] to Lot’s descendants as their heritage.”

As the Jews continue their voyage up north toward the country of Ammon, today's Jordan, Moses has this to say to his people:

“G-d spoke to me saying… ‘You will be coming close to the Ammonites. You shall not distress them and you shall not provoke them, for I shall not give any of the land of the descendants of Ammon to you as an inheritance; to the descendants of Lot have I given it as an inheritance (2).”

These words, uttered 3,284 years ago (in the year 1273 BCE), one month before Moses’ dies, are startling. When the world was still a moral desolate desert, a barbaric pagan society, Jews were barred from taking even a single inch from the territories of Seir, Moab and Ammon. “I will not give you even one foot of their land,” G-d declares to Israel. Not only can you not build homes on their territory, you mustn't even stand on their soil without permission. You can’t enjoy a falafel with humus without their consent. Why? Because their land does not belong to you, the Israelites; it belongs to another nation. Do not lay a finger on that which is not yours.

The Eternal Lesson

Why does the Hebrew Bible record these apparently insignificant instructions of Moses concerning the Jewish encounter with the three countries of Seir, Moab and Ammon? What historical relevance is there in this lengthy and detailed account? Especially considering that the Torah is far more a book of moral instruction than a work of historical data. What moral message does this tale express?

The answer is dramatically clear. The Torah is communicating to us the circumstances surrounding the ultimate Israelite conquest and settlement of their homeland, Eretz Israel, so that when the United Nations, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the European Union, the State Department and all of the Arab countries will decry Israel as an apartheid state, occupying Palestinian soil and controlling land annexed from another nation, the Jewish people will be able to open their own constitution, the Torah, and present its unwavering message:

“Listen ye, defenders of morality and human rights! Do not preach to us about stolen land. At a time when most tribes and nations were slaughtering their very own children to pagan gods (3); in a milieu when parents regularly practiced infanticide, murdering their weak newborn children; in an era when cannibalism was a routine diet, and most people lacked the slightest idea about the very notion of right and wrong -- Jewish children growing up in a desert were taught that they could not touch that which did not belong to them. They could not step foot into a territory that was not theirs. When your great-great grandparents were still entrenched in barbaric Pagan rites, our children were studying G-d's instruction to cultivate absolute respect for the property and nationhood of others.

“It was under these guidelines that the nation of Israel conquered and settled the Land of Israel, knowing full well that this was their land to embrace. The very same G-d who instructed them not to set foot on foreign soil, granted the Land of Israel – the entire territory from the Jordanian till the Mediterranean – as His gift to the Jewish people. It is not stolen land; it is the eternal heritage of the Jewish people.”

Israel became a nation in 1313 BCE, 2,000 years before the birth of Islam. Forty years later, in 1273 BCE the Jews conquered Eretz Israel and enjoyed dominion over the land for a thousand years. Even after the Babylonians and then the Romans put an end to the Jewish sovereignty, Jews continued to reside there throughout all of their history. In short, the Jews have had a continuous presence in the land of Israel for the past 3,300

You Are Thieves”

The great 11th Century French sage and biblical commentator, Rashi (Rabbi Solomon Yitzchaki), one of the greatest sages in the history of the Jewish people, asks the following question in his commentary on the opening verse of Genesis.

If the Hebrew Bible is a book of Jewish theology and law, why does it begin with the story of creation, and not proceed immediately to the story of Exodus and the first mitzvah given to the Jews?

Rashi, who wrote these words as Christian crusaders were attempting to “purge” the land from Muslim rule, presents an incredible answer.

One day in the future, Rashi says, the nations of the world will turn to the Jewish people and declare, "You are thieves! You have stolen the land of Israel from non-Jewish tribes.” What ought to be the appropriate Jewish response?

To answer this question, the Bible commences its text with the story of creation of the universe, in order to grant the Jew the best and truest answer to the accusation that he is a bandit. The entire universe, the Bible is saying, belongs to G-d. He created it. Every piece of land belongs to Him, and He chose to give the Land of Israel to the Jewish people.

To call Israel occupiers of the West Bank and Eastern Jerusalem is akin to calling France occupiers of Paris or Britain occupiers of London. The Bible -- a book embraced by billions of Muslims and Christians as the word of G-d -- states clearly that the entire country, including the West Bank and Jerusalem, is G-d's eternal gift to the Jewish people.

In fact, our ownership of Israel surpasses that of any other nations ownership of its country. Every other nation in the world bases its claim to its land on conquest. A people came, conquered the indigenous people, took the land, settled it, and called it by a new name. "Might makes right" is the historical claim of almost all nations in history. With one exception: Eretz Israel. This country belongs to the Jewish people because, as the Bible states hundreds of times, G-d gave it to them as their eternal heritage. It is the most moral claim, because G-d is by definition the essence of morality.

What About the Palestinian People?

How about the ingrained notion that the Palestinians are fighting for their ancient homeland annexed by the Jews? The truth about this matter has been so deliberately obscured that even to raise the issue seems strange to many people.

Let us reflect on some undisputed historical facts. (Please read till the end and think about the points being made here before you dismiss them instinctively).

In the 1967 war, did Israel annex territory from a Palestinian nation? No. Not a single inch. There is not, nor has there ever been, a Palestinian nation. Israel captured the West Bank and Eastern Jerusalem from Jordan's King Hussein and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, after they declared war against the Jewish State. It was only following the Six-day War in 1967 that Arab refugees living in these territories began identifying themselves as part of a "Palestinian people." One must wonder why these Palestinians suddenly discovered a national identity after Israel won the war, but not during the "Jordanian occupation"?

Yashiko Sagamori, a spokesman for the National Unity Coalition for Israel, made the point very well in a recent article:

”If you are so sure that Palestine, the country, goes back through most of recorded history, I expect you to be able to answer a few basic questions about this country of Palestine:When was it founded and by whom?What were its borders?What was its capital?What were its major cities?What constituted the basis of its economy?What was its form of government?Can you name at least one Palestinian leader before Arafat?Was Palestine ever recognized by a country whose existence, at that time or now, leaves no room for interpretation?What was the language of the country of Palestine?What was the prevalent religion of the country of Palestine?What was the name of its currency? Choose any date in history and tell what was the approximate exchange rate of the Palestinian monetary unit against the US dollar, German mark, GB pound, Japanese yen, or Chinese yuan on that date.Since there is no such country today, what caused its demise and when did it occur?And here is the least sarcastic question of all: If the people you mistakenly call ‘Palestinians’ are anything but generic Arabs collected from all over – or thrown out of -- the Arab world, if they really have a genuine ethnic identity that gives them right for self-determination, why did they never try to become independent until Arabs suffered their devastating defeat in the Six Day War?”

Mr. Sagamori stated the facts correctly. There has never been a land known as Palestine governed by Palestinians. Palestinians are regular Arabs, indistinguishable from Jordanians, Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, Egyptians, etc., who have all lived for hundreds of years under Turkish rule, and then, after World War I, under British rule. At that time even Jews living in the Holy Land were called “Palestinians.” There is no language known as Palestinian. There is no distinct Palestinian culture. There is no such an entity as a "Palestinian people."

The name "Palestine" was created in the second century after the Romans committed genocide against the Jews, burnt the Temple and declared that the land of Israel would be no more. From then on, the Romans promised, it would be known as Palestine. The name was derived from the Philistines, a Goliathian people conquered by the Jews centuries earlier. It was a way for the Romans to add insult to injury. (They also tried to change the name of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina, but that had even less staying power.)

The present conflict between Israel and the Arabs has absolutely nothing to do with any occupation. In 1967, when there was not one Jewish settlement and no occupation, five Arab countries -- Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon joined by Saudi Arabia -- contrived a plan to annihilate Israel and "drive the Jews into the sea." Israel fought back and won the war -- and the territories from which it was attacked. Keep in mind that in 1967 the Arabs controlled 99.9 percent of the Middle East lands. Israel represented less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the land mass. But even that was too much for the Arabs. They wanted it all. No matter how many land concessions the Israelis make, it will never be enough.

During the summer of 2000 at Camp David, Yasser Arafat was offered by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak 98 percent of the "occupied territories" and a first time ever Palestinian State with its capital in East Jerusalem. Arafat rejected the Israeli offer and initiated three years of horrific bloodshed in Israel. Then in 2005, Israel evacuated every last Jew from Gaza, giving away Gaza exclusively to the Arabs. The result? Gaza became Chamastan, and Israel had not enjoyed a day of peace coming from Gaza.

The History of the Palestinians

In Hal Lindsey's book "Everlasting Hatred: The Roots of Jihad," he traces the history of the people now being called the "Palestinians." I want to quote a few critical paragraphs.

“In the 7th century, the Muslims took control of Palestine for the first time. From 635 CE until 1917, the Muslims ruled it, with only a few interruptions by the European Crusaders. During that span of time, the land was reduced to total desolation. Many people who traveled the land in the 19th century remarked on the fact that Palestine was as desolate as the moon and very few people lived there.

”In 1867, Mark Twain remarked about his visit to the Holy Land in his book, ‘The Innocents Abroad.’ He lamented: 'Stirring scenes occur in the valley [of Jezreel] no more. There is not a single village throughout its whole extent – not for 30 miles in either direction. There are two or three small clusters of Bedouin tents, but not a single permanent habitation. One may ride 10 miles hereabouts and not see 10 human beings.’ Twain described the country as ‘A desolate country whose soil is rich enough but is given over wholly to weeds. A silent, mournful expanse. We never saw a human being on the whole route. There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.’

”By all eyewitness accounts of that era, Palestine was a total desolation. There were virtually no trees and no people. Because of lack of trees, the weather changed and it rarely ever rained. The irrigation systems of the once fertile valleys were all destroyed, rendering most areas into malaria-ridden swamps. The terraces of the mountainsides were torn down, causing terrible erosion that left only barren rocks. This was the condition of Palestine by the beginning of the 19th century.

”It was at this time that Jews began to flee severe persecutions in Russia and Eastern Europe. In the mid-1800s, some Jews came to Palestine and, with the generous aid of some successful Jews, began to buy property from Muslim Ottoman Turks. The Muslims thought the land was worthless anyway, so they sold it to the ‘dumb Jews’ for extremely inflated prices.

”To everyone's amazement, the Jews were very successful at reclaiming the land. Many of them died from malaria and the rigorous life the work demanded, but they performed an agricultural miracle that made the land very productive again. As a result of their success, poor migrant workers from the surrounding Muslim countries began to flood in to work for the Jews. The Jews literally became victims of their own success – almost all of the people calling themselves "Palestinians" today are the descendants of those migrant workers.

”When the Hashemite Tribe, who were rulers over Mecca and Medina for centuries, were driven out by the Saudis, the British gave them control over the vastly greater numbers of 'migrant workers' in Trans Jordan. The British said this would be, in effect, "The State of Palestine." Instead, the Hashemites, who make up only about 20 percent of the population, turned it into their own kingdom and called it the Kingdom of Jordan.

”When the Jordanians and Egyptians controlled the so-called West Bank and the Gaza Strip for 19 years (1948 to 1967), there was never a thought of giving the disorganized mass of 'migrant workers' a state. Why? Because they knew there were no cohesive, homogeneous people known as 'Palestinians.'

”The current efforts of Jordan and Egypt and all the rest of the Muslim Middle East nations to give these same people a state is clearly a ploy to get a foothold inside Israel. It is a strategic accommodation to establish a base from which the final assault against Israel can be made. What they couldn't do militarily is now being facilitated through the United Nations and the E.U.

”Muslims will never accept a permanent presence of infidels in what they claim is sacred Islamic soil. Especially Jewish infidels, for which the Koran reserves its most vehement condemnations. In their minds, the Koran and Allah will not let them accept Jews in what they view as their third holiest site.”

“Unfortunately, the Arab war against Israel is no more a territorial conflict than was al Qaeda's strike against America, and it can no more be resolved by the 'road map' than anti-Americanism could be appeased by ceding part of the U.S. to an Islamist enclave. From the moment in 1947 when Jewish leaders accepted and Arab rulers rejected the U.N. partition plan of Palestine, the Arab-Israeli conflict bore no further likeness to conventional territorial struggles. Arab rulers defied the U.N. charter by denying the legitimacy of a member state. Arab countries refused to acknowledge the existence of a single Jewish land. Arab rulers did not object to Israel because it rendered the Palestinians homeless. Rather, they ensured that the Palestinians should remain homeless so that they could organize their politics around opposition to Israel.

“At any point during the past 55 years, Arab governments could have helped the Palestinian Arabs settle down to a decent life. They could have created the infrastructure of an autonomous Palestine on the West Bank of the Jordan and the Gaza territory that Egypt controlled until 1967, or encouraged the resettlement of Palestinians in Jordan, which constitutes the lion's share of the original mandate of Palestine. Rather than fund the Palestine Liberation Organization to foment terror against Israel they could have endowed Palestinian schools of architecture, engineering, medicine and law. What Israel did for its refugees from Arab lands, Arabs could have done much more sumptuously for the Palestinians displaced by the same conflict. Instead, Arab rulers cultivated generations of refugees in order to justify their ongoing campaign against the ‘usurper.’”

Every decent human heart goes out to the pain of innocent Arab children, women and men who grew up in impoverished refugee camps. Their suffering should evoke the compassion of all moral men. But let us be clear on the matter: Their suffering has absolutely nothing to do with Israel. Their profound agony is the result of the Arab and Palestinian leaders who have in a most cynical way used them as weapons in their bloody battle against Israel, robbing them from any prospect of a brighter future.

This abuse of the Arab refugees by their leaders began back in 1948. For the most part, the refugees were encouraged by Arab leaders to leave Israel, promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left their homes without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.

Out of the 100 million refugees after World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that was not absorbed or integrated into their own peoples' lands. Jewish refugees which numbered the same amount as Palestinian refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey. Yet the Arab refugees were intentionally not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Why? Because cynical Arab leaders realized that the true value of the refugees was not as Arab brothers but as pawns to be used against Israel.

The Best Kept Secret

The early founding fathers of modern Israel, even if they were not religious, were deeply steeped in the realization of the Jewish Biblical connection to the land. David Ben Gurion, for example, had an appreciation of the necessity of anchoring a modern, even secular, Israeli state in biblical and Jewish tradition.

Yet, tragically, this has changed dramatically in recent years. You will rarely, if ever, hear an Israeli leader state the truest and most moral justification for a Jewish presence in the Holy Land: G-d’s gift to the Jewish people. I am sure our leaders are trying to do the best for their country, but the practical consequences of this policy are counterproductive.

The Arabs are protesting against Israel, saying, “You have annexed our land; you are building settlements on our soil; you are intruding into our territories.”

And Israel routinely responds: “Yes, you have the right to create on these territories a Palestinian state, but we have a right for self-defense.”

The world, we know, has embraced the Arab point of view. Condemnation of Israel as an apartheid state has become the norm. Is this pure anti-Semitism? I do not think so.

The world is sympathetic to the Arab propaganda against Israel, because Israel itself has embraced the Arab version of "truth." Israel never refuted the core Arab claim that the territories captured in the 1967 war constitute ancient Palestinian land. Israel only states, that notwithstanding the validity of the Arab claim, she has a right for self-defense.

So the world says: “OK, so defend yourself in your territories, not in theirs.”

This, I believe, remains Israel's profoundest diplomatic and strategic error. In many of its actions, it treats the 1967 territories as though they belonged to Israel; yet in its words, Israel agrees to the Arab claim that this is Palestinian land. So the world is confused: The Arab position is clear to all; the Israeli position is shrouded in mystery. Do they believe this land belongs to them or not? If yes, let them stop saying that they consent to create a Palestinian State there. If not, why do they still maintain a presence there?

The Arabs are not confused. Israel is. And when Jews are confused about who they are and what they believe in, the world resents them. "You are the nation who heard G-d speak at Sinai; if you guys can't speak moral truth, you must be up to something really devilish."

As long as the status of the entire country remains ambiguous, the terror campaign against Israel will, Heaven forbid, continue. The Arabs will view Israel's moral and political ambiguity as a green-light to proceed with their aspiration to "liberate all of Palestine from the Zionist entity." And the world will sympathize with this craving for statehood and freedom. Israel must stand up and put an end to the ambivalence around Jewish ownership of the land. Israel must state clearly that "There will be no more negotiations on even a single inch of the land of Israel. We have attempted to negotiate land for peace with our neighbors; we have offered them 98 percent of the territories and an independent state side-by-side with our state. Yet they have reciprocated by sending suicide bombers to our pizza shops, cafés, supermarkets, schools, and private homes. They have blown to pieces hundreds of innocent Jewish men and women. One cannot give land to leaders who teach their followers to play soccer with Jewish skulls and who inculcate in their children's hearts, from infancy onward, with venomous hatred toward the people of Israel."

Israel should allow anybody who wishes to depart for another country to do so. There are 22 Arab countries in the Middle East, and one tiny Jewish country, the size of New Jersey. Israel must reclaim its permanent sovereignty over all of the territories and crush every vestige of terror. Jews should be encouraged to live in their entire homeland. This will save not only countless Jewish lives, but also scores of Arab lives. It will once and for all purge the region from continuous bloodshed and terror.

This is not occupied territory. It is the land of Israel, given by G-d to the Jewish people. Let's set the record clear: This is Jewish land, not Arab land. Let all Jews and people of moral standing unite and encourage Israel to bring life and peace to all good people in the region, Jew and Arab alike.

Let us not emulate the Jew in the opening anecdote, who, rather than communicating the full relevant truth, beats around the bush. (4)_________

1) Deuteronomy chapter 2:2-6. All of the subsequent quotes are from this chapter.

2) Later on, Moses relates the story of the two kingdoms of Sichon and Og, located on the Eastern bank of the Jordan who, in response to Israel’s request for peace, declared war against Israel and were subsequently wiped out.

3) When paganism ruled, it was common to see human beings sacrificed to pagan gods. Child sacrifices were common rituals of the Canaanite Baal worshipers in ancient times. Moses warned the Jews a number of times that if they would leave the Canaanite tribes in their midst, they might begin to emulate their cruel and barbaric pagan practices. This indeed transpired. It was this practice of many Jews that caused the prophet Elijah, with G-d's approval, to condemn and destroy 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:6-40). Near Mount Carmel on the site of the ancient city of Meggido, archaeologists have discovered the remains of infants who, under the corrupt rule of the Israelite King Ahab and Queen Jezebel in the ninth century B.C.E., had been sacrificed in a temple of Ashtoreth, the goddess of Baal. In the eighth century B.C. the corrupt King Ahaz of ancient Israel sacrificed (by burning) his own son to the Canaanite god Molech (2 Kings 16:3). Not too long after Ahaz, another immoral monarch of Israel, King Manasseh, sacrificed his son (also by burning) in the Valley of Hinnon (2 Kings 21:6). And during the latter part of the seventh century B.C., the prophet Jeremiah condemned numerous Israelites for sacrificing "their sons and daughters in the fire" (Jeremiah 7:3 1).

4) This essay is based on a talk delivered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, 4 Av 5740, July 17, 1980, published in Sichos Kodesh 5740 vol. 3 pp. 704-706.

23 July 2012

"Senior Israeli military officers, referring to the Syrian foreign ministry statement Monday, July 23, that Syria would only use chemical weapons against “external aggression” say it was a direct threat by the Assad regime to turn those weapons against Israel. There was no denial of their potential transfer to Hizballah, against which Israel has vowed to use force. "Assad has taken carte blanche for when and against whom to wage chemical warfare." More at Debka

Presumably this is why Assad threatened and why the UN Secretary is very worried: DEBKAfile reports exclusively. ... Assad also received a last warning not to move his chemical weapons again or else they would be destroyed from the air.

And now,US Warns Syria Over Chemical Weapons: Pentagon officials tell Syria not to 'even consider' using chemical weapons; Israel will secure Syrian stockpiles if regime collapses. "They should not think one iota about using chemical weapons," Pentagon press secretary George Little told reporters.

"We have been very strong in our statements inside the US government on the prospective use of chemical weapons and it would be entirely unacceptable," Little said."

22 July 2012

It's so wonderful to be in the Promised Land, Eretz Yisrael. While in Brooklyn, no one ever told us these things:

The following is from "The Laws of the Nine Days" by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed. Please read all of them here

Redemption through Torah Study in Israel

During these days, as we mourn the Destruction, we should arouse and strengthen our efforts in matters that bring the Redemption closer. It is written in Tana D’bei Eliyahu (Eliyahu Zuta 14): “Israel is not redeemed out of sorrow, or out of slavery, or out of wandering, or out of madness, or out of duress, or out of a lack of food, but out of ten people sitting together, each one reading and learning with his partner, their voices heard, as it is written: “But upon Mount Zion there will be refuge, and there will be holiness”(Ovadiah 1:17).

Suffering alone can not bring Redemption. Redemption will come by way of deep study, guiding the lives of the individual and the collective, the spiritual and the physical, the sacred and the secular, to live complete, Torah lives. And even if only ten people learn together sincerely, for the sake of bringing the Redemption and ‘tikun olam’ (perfecting the world), their voices will be heard by the multitudes, and will merit bringing the Redemption.

Building the Land of Israel Brings Redemption

It is well known that in the words of the Prophets and our holy Sages, settling the Land of Israel is the foundation and key to the Redemption, as cited in the book ‘Kol HaTor’, chapter 5: “And who is as great in all previous generations as Rabbeinu HaGra (Gaon of Vilna), Kadosh Yisrael, who, in his passionate oratory fire, urged his students to go to Eretz Yisrael and engage in the Ingathering of the Exiles, relentlessly encouraging his students to hasten the ‘Revealed End of Times’, to bring the Final Redemption by settling the Land of Israel.

Almost every day, Rabbeinu spoke to us emotionally and excitedly, that ‘In Zion and Jerusalem will there be refuge’, and not to delay the point in time. Who can put into words the magnitude of Rabbeinu’s apprehension as he spoke of these matters to us, in his holy spirit and with tears in his eyes.”

Furthermore, we have learned that the ‘Sin of the Spies’ – those who despised the cherished Land – occurred on Tisha B’Av, and it was decreed that if they did not correct their sin, the First and Second Temples would be destroyed on Tisha B’Av, and the galut would begin.

Therefore, during these days we must awaken to the importance of the mitzvah of settling the Land, and every single Jew who is able, has the sacred duty to go up and settle in holy center of Eretz Yisrael – in Judea and Samaria.

Torah Study on Shabbat Expresses Our Right to the Land

“The Torah said before God: Master of the Universe! When Israel enters the Land, one person will run to [toil in] his vineyard, while another will run to [toil in] his field. What will be with me? God said to the Torah: I have a partner for you, and Shabbat is its name – for on that day, Israel will cease to work, and can engage in you” (Midrash, cited in Tur, Orach Chaim 290). And as we have learned in the Gemara (Pesachim 68b) and Rishonim (Or Ze’rua, S’mag, and others), half the time of Shabbat should be dedicated to Torah, that is to say, at least six hours.

The more we strengthen our Torah study on Shabbat, the stronger our right to the Land will be, for the main objective of Eretz Yisrael is for holiness to reveal itself in everyday life as well, and in all various occupations; but this, provided one learns a lot on Shabbat, for by doing so, holiness and blessing spreads to all our accomplishments during the six workdays.

The Mitzvah ‘Be Fruitful and Multiply’ Leads to Redemption

Additionally, during these days we must awaken to what our Sages have said (Eliyahu Zuta 14): “And just as Israel was redeemed from Egypt in the merit of proliferating, so too will they be redeemed in the future. How do you know? Know for sure that this is the case, for Israel will be redeemed only if they proliferate and fill the entire the world, as it is said: 'For you shall break forth on the right hand and on the left; and your seed shall possess nations, and make desolate cities to be inhabited' ”(Isaiah 54:3).

In a previous article, we discussed the swiftness with which Pinchas acted and in contrast we saw that Joshua did not complete the task of conquering the landof Israelbecause of his excessive patience. From the fact that Pinchas was appointed to lead the war against Midian, the sages learn that, “He who begins a mitzvah is told to finish it.”[1] Pinchas began the mitzvah of overpowering the Midianites with his swift killing of Kozbee and it was therefore his responsibility to complete the assignment. In contrast, the sages teach us that despite his military prowess, Joshua remained behind in the camp to pray with Moses. Since Joshua was to be the next “Rebbe” of the Jewish people, his task was to pray for their success in battle.

One way of understanding the different approaches of Pinchas and Joshua is by considering the fact that Pinchas was appointed to complete the mitzvah, while Joshua remained behind in the camp to pray. A mitzvah, by its very nature, is meant to be completed; mitzvot do not require an indefinite amount of time to complete. However Torah study, is something that has no endFrom here we can learn that Pinchas’ alacrity was suited to the task of fulfilling one’s duty with regard to mitzvot, while Joshua’s patience was suited to serve the perpetual tasks of Torah study.

In fact, Torah study has both qualities of being a mitzvah that can be completed and of being an open-ended task that cannot be completed in a lifetime. The Alter Rebbe in his codex states that one can indeed fulfill the mitzvah of Torah study (which is why the Lubavitcher Rebbe encouraged people to learn Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah), but only the aspect of the mitzvah in Torah study. In essence, Torah study remains a task that, “Is not for you to complete”[2] because it is infinitely vast. Indeed, the Ba’al Shem Tov interprets the verse, “God’s Torah is whole; it revives the soul,” using the allegory that if one studies Torah with the mindset that he can never complete it, like a dog lapping at the ocean—for all its efforts, the ocean will remain just as whole as it was, then the Torah revives the soul. So we see that it must be possible to comply with the requirements of studying Torah as a mitzvah, as with any mitzvah which is complete when we have done our duty. Nonetheless, the inherent essence of the Torah is that one can never fathom its entire depth.

Mashiach – Torah or mitzvah?

We might ask, is the coming of the Mashiach like Torah—which is open-ended, or is it like a mitzvah—closed-ended? Some people may consider Mashiach to be like the Torah, meaning that essentially Mashiach is something we can never hope to bring. If an individual shares this feeling, he can spend his time dealing philosophically with Mashiach ad infinitum, but will never bring him in this way. Indeed, one of the revelations of Mashiach will be his infinite flow of Torah innovations. Nonetheless, appointing a king is the first mitzvah that we are commanded to perform on entering thelandofIsrael. It is our challenge to perceive Mashiach as a mitzvah that must be completed.

19 July 2012

U.N. Secretary-General [Ban Ki-moon] said "Time is of the essence," ... "The Syrian people have suffered for too long. The bloodshed must end now."

1942-45: Europe

U.N. Secretary-General didn't say "Time is of the essence," ... "The Jewish people have suffered for too long. The bloodshed must end now."

2012 Bulgaria:

"UN head Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack on Israelis in Bulgaria but didn't call it terror" ... and the "UN Human Rights Council was silent altogether."

2012: International Conference for Victims of Terror

"The Global Counter-terrorism Forum’s High-Level Conference on Victims of Terrorism was held on July 9 in Madrid, Spain. The US undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights, Ms. Maria Otero, praised the UN-sponsored organization called the Global Survivors Network and mentioned a film it had produced that included the stories of victims of terror from 11 countries."

Maybe that is why Mr. Ban couldn't form the letters to say the word "terror" in connection with the terrorist 'suicide body bomber' who blew up a bus in Bulgaria loaded with teenagers from Israel. "UN head Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack on Israelis in Bulgaria but didn't call it terror." "The UN Human Rights Council was silent altogether." Source.

I guess, Mr. Ban, if you admitted that the attack in Bulgaria was perpetrated by terrorists, then the Global Survivors Network would have to admit Jews to its forums?

Ms Otero described "four areas that the United States believes should be part of a comprehensive strategy for governments to address the needs of international terror victims’ rights." Strangely, these four areas, Rabbi Seth Mandell explains, were to have been covered in the "Koby Mandel Act" ... "The Act directed the US government to provide information, resources, legal representation and accountability to the families of Americans murdered by terrorists in foreign lands."

However, it seems this endeavor has been usurped by the Department of Justice and the Undersecretary of State Ms Otero to address all terror victims except Jews (Israeli and American). More Obama Administration ingenuity!

From the Arutz Sheva website: Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv was born in 1910 in Lithuania to Rabbi Avraham Erener and Chaya Musha, daughter of the kabbalist Rabbi Shlomo Elyashiv. His parents were married for 17 years before his birth and he was an ony child. In 1922, the family moved to Israel and changed their name to Elyashiv at the advice of the famed Chafetz Chaim, settling in the hareidi Jerusalem neighborhood of Meah Shearim.

The young scholar never attended a regular yeshiva framework, but was recognized as a genius in Talmud study at a young age. When after serving as rabbi of Ramle for a short time, Rabbi Elyashiv was appointed a Rabbinic Court judge (dayan), Rabbi Yitzchak Herzog, Israel's Chief Rabbi, excused him from rabbinical and rabbinic court examinations, saying that they were unnecessary for someone of his caliber.

Rabbi Elyashiv married the daughter of Rabbi Arye Levine (called "father of the prisoners" as he visited and helped the Lehi fighters incarcerated and later hanged by the British during the Mandate period).

Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook, later head of the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva was the matchmaker and his father, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel and founder of the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva (called Yeshiva Merkazit at the time) , Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, performed the wedding.

Rabbi Elyashiv and his wife Shayna Chana z"l had 12 children, one of whom, Rivka, was killed in an artillery barrage during Israel's War of Independence. One of his daughters married Rav Chaim Kanievsky, another a son of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach.

15 July 2012

""Manhattanhenge" occurs when the sun is perfectly aligned with the buildings of Manhattan, creating an incredible sunset. The term "Manhattanhenge" is due to the sundial appearance of the buildings shadows' and the similarity to Stonehenge." Manhattanhenge.

This type of fallacious thinking must be countered, and Danny Danon is right there with, "The only danger to the State of Israel as a Jewish nation is the failure to believe in our historical right to our land". This is the psychological war being waged in this generation. It's the battle between younger Israeli minds, raised on the land, against the European Galut mentality and US subversive policies. The international community already gave Israel the green light to their homelan, and the refusal of the Arab nations to recognize Israel's historical and religious identity is what caused all the wars, uprooting of people, massacres and internecine fighting over the last 60 years.

God returned us to our land (gasp, yes it was God working in history! I dare say this, to those readers who shy from such realities), He will make sure we will stay here, but it is us, the Jews, who have to do our part here on the land to fulfill His Will. This means building up the land, developing the infrastructures, bringing more Jews out of the international unnatural ideological environments back to the soil that nurtures them and the whole world. The righteous people in the international nations are also the beneficiaries of Jewish historical renewal. That is our biblical purpose, our spiritual purpose, and our worldly purpose.

I say, Shimon Peres' antiquated and subversive ideas are what is endangering Jewish identity and the future of Jewish lives.

10 July 2012

If one reads the white letters between the black letters of the news reports describing the devastating weather-related attacks and technological disasters occurring in many countries/nations of the world, a pattern arises.

Commissions are set up to examine what happened, who might be at fault, measures that were or were not enacted, and were the systems set up to address the damages adequate to do their job.

All this results in 'finger-pointing', blame and culpability.

And what does this produce?

Apologies, people losing their positions.

What is the bottom line to all this:

the humbling of the pride

of the politicians,

leaders

and professionals.

A Force greater than man is bringing *rectitude to the nations

While at the same time we can see with our keen Jewish insight that the Land of Eretz Yisrael is becoming stronger and stronger. “The Truth & Beauty of Israel fused with the Inspiration of Judaism & Jerusalem” (Ari & Jeremy).

"After having considered the terms of reference set out in the Commission's mandate, and in light of what we have heard, as well as the considerable body of material presented to us by a wide range of bodies, our conclusions and recommendations are as follows:

"Our basic conclusion is that from the point of view of international law, the classical laws of 'occupation' as set out in the relevant international conventions cannot be considered applicable to the unique and sui generis historic and legal circumstances of Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria, over the course of decades.

"Therefore, according to international law, Israelis have the legal right to settle in Judea and Samaria and the establishment of settlements cannot, in and of itself, be considered to be illegal."

MK Regev thinks Israel should place Jewish communities on Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron) under its sovereignty as a preliminary step before placing all of the territory – also called Yesha, in a Hebrew acronym – under its sovereignty. He said this in a recorded speech that is to be delivered at the Second Conference for Placing Judea and Samaria under Israeli Sovereignty, to be held Thursday in Hevron.

Jewish growth in Judea and Samaria has outstripped Arab growth in the past three years – either because of or despite of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

“The Associated Press reported the figures and reasoned that the Jewish growth of 18 percent in three years is a result of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s policies, but the truth may be the opposite. Under American pressure, he slapped a 10-month freeze on building new homes for Jews in Judea and Samaria in order to satisfy Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ conditions for a resumption of the moribund “peace process” for the establishment the Palestinian Authority as an independent country.”

MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) announced on Monday that she intends to submit a bill to the Knesset which adopts the principles of a report filed by an official committee that states Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron) are not "occupied territories.”

Former Knesset Member Geula Cohen believes that annexing Judea and Samaria is possible, if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wills it. Based on her experience, however, she noted that the law can be proposed by an MK and not by Netanyahu himself.

Scorching temperatures in June's second half helped the continental United States break its record for the hottest first six months in a calendar year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Monday. The last 12 months also have been the warmest since modern record-keeping began in 1895, narrowly beating the previous 12-month period that ended in May 2012.(Reuters)

The biggest flares are known as 'X-class flares' based on a classification system that divides solar flares according to their strength. The smallest ones are A-class, which are similar to normal background levels, followed by B, C, M and X.

Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each letter represents a 10-fold increase in energy output, meaning an X is ten times an M and 100 times a C. The sun is now heading into the peak of its 11-year solar flare cycle, with 2013 expected to the tumultuous year. With the increased spread in communications in the last 11 years, a sever solar storm could cause huge issues for the planet. More at DailyMail

This image, captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, shows the M5.3 class solar flare that peaked on July 4, 2012 (photo/report from DailyMail)

09 July 2012

All the leftist secularists need to be drafted into the Jewish Army = a Yeshiva program of Torah Study tailored for them!

So says Rabbi Simcha Avraham Halevi Shlit"a:

“The Jewish people survived its entire cruel history not through the might of arms, not through airplanes or tanks, not through the deterrent effect of the IDF and not through the power of the State of Israel, but through the merit of Torah study and the fulfillment of its commandments,” the Bnei Brak-based rebbe proclaimed during his weekly Torah lesson.

“Therefore, we are obligated to bring about equality in the burden among our brothers of the Children of Israel, so that all secular youth bear the yoke of preserving and defending the inheritance of the Jewish people, and fulfill their national duty through Torah study and the fulfillment of the commandments.”

“The stupidity of their hearts prevents them from seeing and understanding that despite the ability of these students, who have many possibilities open to them to become wealthy and earn a better living due to their high intellect, they nevertheless kill themselves in the tents of Torah with self-sacrifice and many hours [of study] every day.

They scorn the vanities of the world and are the true defenders of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel.”

08 July 2012

However, I wrote the following comment, because this is not a simple matter, and the leftists are going crazy in their attempts to bring down the government and cause national mahem for all of us. They should keep to the betterment of life for ALL Israelis and not slip into "army-now, using peace-now tactics".

About the draft,

Maybe financial pressure on the Yeshivos would have an impact. The Yeshiva heads would then need to weed out those who are not serious or semi-serious, from the others. The govt. should not force them into the army, because they will not be able to discern the serious from the others. The Yeshivos need a particular set of rules.

Most of the 'learners' come to Eretz Yisrael to learn because of the special quality of life here that is conducive to "achieving in learning". I happen to believe this is really beneficial to the State and People of Israel. This group needs one particular set of rules.

However, those who are born here and intend to remain here, should show some HaKoras HaTov for being able to do so. Without the government and all that it gives to the Yeshiva system, they need to express their gratitude to HaShem for being able to do so. This group needs a different set of rules.

I believe that those who have attacked the police, called them Nazis, and have gone overboard about tznius and Shabbos desecration are actually showing HaShem that they don't appreciate and have gratitude to HIM for having the privilege of being here. They too are subject to all the halachos. And this group needs rehabilitation quickly, and maybe instead of jail, it's into the Army immediately. Put that zealousness to good use.

There is a crisis, but a 'one-answer' to all the problems won't work. There needs to be a several approaches to the several problems plaguing the Chareidi lifestyle. They are not one homogeneous clump; there are differing perspectives among them.

It seems this much too long Galus has done irreparable damage to many areas of our lives. All Jews are suffering in one way or another.

In my opinion this means HaShem needs to apply an historical solution. (b'Rachamim)

By the way, did anyone read Rabbi Brody's Lazer Beams on the Plesner Committee? And be sure to read the comments there also!

HIGGS BOSOM - A God Particle?: As We Believe, "There Are No Coincidences"

A scientific rendering of particles smashing at the Geneva accelerator

Amazing: Scientific Discovery Affirms the Alter Rebbe's Words

[But, does it?]

[Crown Heights info:] The science world went crazy over the (possible) discovery of the Higg's Boson, also called “the God particle,” which confirms the existence of 'dark energy.'

In that very day's Hayom Yom, the Rebbe writes in detail about a Maamar the Alter Rebbe privately said in this week's parsha that disputes science's understanding of the function of gravity.

The scientific discovery of dark energy proves that gravity alone is not the force that keeps everything in its place, as the Alter Rebbe explains in that Maamar!

Without getting into any scientific discussions, the mere fact that: 1. The Alter Rebbe said this Maamar in Parshas Balak, and 2. The Rebbe writes about it in the Hayom Yom (14 Tammuz) - is nothing short of a miracle.

What is most interesting about whether this analogy is accurately understood follows in the comments section of this post, as the Hassidic minds grapple with scientific correlations to Chassidus.

For example, one commentator wrote:

"“The scientific discovery of dark energy proves that gravity alone is not the force that keeps everything in its place” This is nonsense. Not only isn't it right, it's so nonsensical that it's not even *wrong*. And it certainly is gravity, and *only* gravity, that keeps us (no matter where we live) attached to the ground. Without gravity there is no such concept as “up” or “down”. As for the Alter Rebbe's maamar, there has never been such a “kushyas hatochnim”; no astronomer has ever asked such a question. And the AR's “answer” adds up to saying, correctly, that the question makes no sense."

And another:

"If you look up the source of the Hayom Yom, you will see that the Alter Rebbe was not discrediting gravity - he didn't mention it! He was disputing another theory - that each element is drawn to its element, and that man - being from earth - is drawn to earth. This, the Alter Rebbe says, is not true. The Alter Rebbe's explanation is perfectly in tine with the theory of gravity, in fact explaining the spiritualistic side of it."

And another:

"1. The Higgs Boson particle is NOT what is refereed to as “dark energy”.2. the Alter Rebbe says that the reason that the people in America dont fall off, is because we are on a sphere. and there is no top and bottom on a sphere. that is NOT what the scientists have learned from the confirmation of the existence of the Higgs Boson!3. the confirmed existence of the Higgs Boson explains how anything in the universe has mass. gravity is a result of mass. no scientist will tell you that the confirmation of the Higgs disproves gravity!4. science today very much believes in gravity! The question was: if the strength of gravity is dependent on the size of the mass of the two objects, what in general gives any object which is made up of atoms etc. its mass?Where does mass come from?it is that last question that scientists have answered and confirmed with the confirmation of the Higgs.IE the Higgs particle explains how all the sub-atomic and atomic particles in the universe get their mass. once mass exists at the atomic level, the more atoms that are grouped together (IE a big planet or star) the stronger the mass will be... the stronger the gravitational force will be...5. So in actuality the hayom yom and the scientific discovery have nothing to do with each other.6. This is not to be taken as taking sides between the Alter Rebbe and science. Chas vesholom! but that doesn't mean they are saying the same thing?! "

Another:

"'Without getting into any scientific discussions...' I would agree with the author if what the Rebbe wrote in Hayom Yom had any correlation with the discovery of the Higgs Boson. The Higgs Boson may explain the existence of mass but it doesn't do much for explaining why people on one side of the earth don't fall head first into space (not to mention what keeps planets in orbit). The explanation in Etz Chaim for this phenomenon seems fairly esoteric and Hayom Yom doesn't really explain its meaning. Yes, it's intriguing that the discovery was announced on the same day as the mention of gravity in Hayom Yom. But 'nothing short of a miracle' seems a bit excessive."

And a response from the original author of the post:

"Not exactly how I put it. (I understand that you need to trim the article down, but...)

Dark energy was discovered in the last few decades. The Alter Rebbe zt“l spoke about this 210 years ago (parshas Balak) when he said that their opinion (on gravity) is 'not emes'. (As confirmed by the NASA links I sent you.) The possible discovery of Higg's Boson (which turns physics on its ears) supposedly confirms existence of a particle closer to what we call in Chassidus ”Koach Hayolee“.

The key points though are that:1. The Rebbe zt”l elected to write about this topic EXACTLY on this date in Hayom Yom.2. The Alter Rebbe zt"l spoke about this science on this Parsha and used America as an example. And CONTRADICTED the [widely believed] gravity theory, back then.

This issue is important because it strengthens our emuna and demonstrates that Tzadikkim not only understood Science a magnitude greater than all scientists combined, they also with their kedusha, foresaw world events decades and centuries into the future. (Obviously they have access to *God's particle*!) On that note, I once saw in a sefer (forgot the name) a detail remez on the exact date when man will land on the moon. On the posuk where Hashem created the moon!"

And, A translation by chabad.org of the HaYom Yom:

"The Tzemach Tzedek notes in one of his discourses: “On Tuesday of parshat Balak 5562 (1802) our master,1 of blessed memory, said to his sons as follows: To understand the problem posed by the astronomers, that since the earth is round and spherical like an apple, why do not those people fall who live on the side of the globe opposite to ours, 'down below,' in America?... Their answer is not the true one... Our master,1 of blessed memory, said that the answer lies in explanation of the Etz Chaim that the Nine Spheres are nurtured by that state termed igulim, 'Circles,' and in a circle there is no above or below. For this reason those who live opposite us, 'down below,' have their heavens high above them arching in one continuity with the heaven above us, and the earth there is below, relative to the heavens over it.”"

Still another:

"With the theory of gravity, Issac Newton was able to give apikursus an ideological foundation. The conecpt is as follows: If there is such a thing as gravity, then this means that the earth is a far away planet in a lost corner of the universe. It also implies that the earth orbits the sun, and that the sun orbits the center of the milky way galaxy, and that the milky way galaxy orbits the center of the universe. According to this theory, even if there was a g-d, he long ago ago forgot about us and we are now on our own. May the strongest win. Obviously, this runs counter to everything in Torah. The problem with the theory of gravity is that it has never been proven to the point it can be integrated into the other three fundamental theories that underly quantum physics (the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, and electromagnetism).

For the past hundred years science has been looking for the answer to this conondrum. Dark matter is only the latest attempt to justify the theory of gravity. They are trying to prove that the unexplained forces that hold the universe together (and cannot be explained by the theory of gravity) are in fact invisible i.e. dark matter. This is genius. If no one can see it or measure it, then no one can say it's wrong. No matter how long they search for a way to support the theory of gravity, they will never succeed. Thet is because the theory is flawed. Etz chaim explains why things “Fall Down”. But if you accept the explanation in Torah, then you also have to accept that the earth is the center of the universe and that every action we do has a profound effect. you can no longer behave immorally. This is the real reason for the zealotry shown by advocates of gravity. They dont want to have to modify thier behavior. They would rather go on for the next hundred years looking for the “Missing Piece” to the theory of gravity."

" [T]he Higgs-Boson is significant in that it fills a major gap in our knowledge and ties together disparate entities. As such, it plays a crucial role in understanding the overall unity of the universe. Not only did modern science emerge from monotheism, it continues to support monotheism insofar as it discovers the unity present in the universe. As Rav Hirsch writes:

"In light of the foregoing, would Judaism not be justified in viewing this idea of a universal unity, which inquiring minds have already pieced together from the textbook of the universe and which man’s consciousness yearns to express, as nothing less than the long-awaited triumph of the truth of Judaism? This is the truth with which, thousands of years ago, Judaism first appeared in the midst of a chaotic multitude of gods, proclaiming that there is only one, sole God in heaven and on earth, and that all the phenomena of the universe are founded upon His Law. This idea, the concept of the Unity of God, is the truth for which Judaism has endured a course of martyrdom without parallel in world history.""

"[in part:] "Because of its role in a fundamental property of elementary particles, the Higgs boson has been referred to as the "God particle" in popular culture, although virtually all scientists regard this as a hyperbole. According to the Standard Model, the Higgs particle is a boson, a type of particle that allows multiple identical particles to exist in the same place in the same quantum state. Furthermore, the model posits that the particle has no intrinsic spin, no electric charge, and no colour charge. It is also very unstable, decaying almost immediately after its creation."

What Is The Question?

What presumably presages this debate: A book entitled, The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question?:

"The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What is the Question? is a 1993 popular science book by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon M. Lederman and science writer Dick Teresi. The book provides a brief history of particle physics, starting with the Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Democritus, and continuing through Isaac Newton, Roger J. Boscovich, Michael Faraday, and Ernest Rutherford and quantum physics in the 20th century. Lederman said he gave[citation needed] or his editor gave the nickname "The God Particle" because the particle is "so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our final understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive, ..." See List of Chapters.

Where do some of the most intelligent Israeli minds figure into this scientific endeavor?

"Scientists at Geneva’s European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) – where scores of Israelis have worked for decades to bring the discovery nearer..."

JPost article from the Health & Science section: Israelis Rejoice Over Discovery of 'God Particle': "Theoretical and experimental physicists see the groundbreaking discovery of a new subatomic particle – announced Wednesday in Geneva – as even more of a technological and scientific achievement than America’s first landing on the moon. But unlike the astronauts’ romp over the dusty lunar rocks in 1969, the new breakthrough is so intangible that it leaves the general public clueless. ..."

"Knesset Science and Technology Committee chairman Ronit Tirosh said Wednesday that she was “very proud of the contribution of Israeli scientists [to] the discovery.” Astrophysicists from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Tel Aviv University, the Technion-Institute of Technology in Haifa and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have been active in the massive effort, which involved CERN’s particle accelerator – the largest machine in the world, costing over $10 billion."

"Prof. Yaron Oz, dean of TAU’s faculty for exact sciences, who worked on CERN’s multinational team at Geneva for four years and has made numerous visits since, told The Jerusalem Post in an interview that the huge facility “is like the UN should be.""

"Prof. Aharon Levy, who is modern Orthodox and has headed a research group in Hamburg: "As a religious person, Levy said the discovery “does help us understand how much we don’t understand about the universe. A religious Jew might say the discovery shows the orderliness of nature that is evidence that the universe was created by a Divine power, but we don’t get involved in this.”"

G-d Must Surely Be Smiling Down On His Creatures!

04 July 2012

It’s the Fourth of July, and I’m pulling myself away from my family to send a special message to those of you who have been so dedicated to restoring this country the past few years. Now, as many of you know, I swore off technology this week to be with my family so I’m assuming you’re getting this via some kind of carrier pigeon or a European swallow (that or someone on my staff was nice enough to transcribe this and put it out in an e-mail).

Anyway, I wanted to take a minute of your time today to talk about one thing: independence.

On this day in 1776, the founders declared America’s independence from Britain. Everybody knows this – but the fact we tend to gloss over is that the fight wasn’t finished right then and there. They kept fighting for that freedom until 1783, over seven years of bloody struggle and sacrifice. In fact, “we the people” didn’t adopt our Constitution until 1787, more than 11 years after those 56 men gathered in a room and signed their name to a piece of parchment that said there’s a better way for men and women to live: in freedom.

On July 4th, 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote some of the greatest most powerful words in all of history: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

These words are powerful because they are true, and they are self-evident. We don’t need to look it up on some fact checking website. Somehow, we just know it’s right – and that is why the founders and the revolutionaries spent the better part of a decade fighting to bring those words to life. And that is why big government progressives so desperately seek to marginalize them and ‘progress’ away from them. Because they know those words, those self-evident truths, are the only thing preventing them from obtaining the power they seek.

It’s a scary thought to wonder what happens if they succeed.

You see, freedom is very fragile – in fact, only 5% of all the civilized world throughout history has ever lived with the kind of freedoms we enjoy here in America. That 5% share a frightening commonality: when they lose their freedom, that’s it. They never get it back. And many did lose it. No matter how big, no matter how powerful. Do you want to be part of the generation that fell asleep and allowed America to fall? Do you want to be the ones who future generations of frustrated kids being told what car they can and cannot drive, how much soda they can drink, what temperature to set their thermostat at – point to and say ‘they did this!’ ?? I don’t. And I know you don’t either. So let’s commit ourselves to being ever vigilant.

Being ever vigilant requires more than soaring rhetoric. The single most effective enabler to an exponentially growing big government is an uninvolved people. The less we do to help our fellow man, the more we legitimize governments efforts to fill a particular ‘need’ in America. If you want to reduce the size of government, you have to reduce the need they seek to fill. How do we do that?

At Restoring Love on July 28th in Dallas, TX, we will show this country and the world that America is still a nation that prefers freedom and liberty over progressive nanny state rule. We will demonstrate that a lemonade stand run by pre-teens is a valuable life lesson, NOT a threat to national security. We will prove that government food stamps aren’t the only way to feed the homeless and less fortunate. We will start the process that puts an end to the days when people turn to the federal government first in times of need.

We will once again declare America’s independence and stand together, united by the common yet powerful ideals that everyone – everyone – knows in their hearts are good and true: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Many people dream of a day when these words are long forgotten. I refuse to allow that to happen without a fight – and I look forward to fighting alongside each and every one of you.

Bloggers I Follow

Ein Od Milvado

LIVING in Eretz Israel is the equivalent of all the Mitzvot of the Torah (Sifri, Parashat Re'eh, TOSEFTA, AVODA ZARA 5:2)

Fortunate is he who merits in his life to FIX HIS RESIDENCE in Eretz HaKodesh (Zohar Hakadosh Iii 72b) and remove from your heart this false belief that a man has more blessings outside the land (Alshich Hakadosh, Ki Tavo 28:6)